Meet The State Farm Andrew Hinz Office!

5/10/2018 (Permalink)

Danny and I arrived at the Andrew Hinz State Farm office to a busy waiting area first thing in the morning. I knew the theme of this office even before Andrew told me what it was: relationships and community. Paige Lee was working out their mission at the front desk going above and beyond to help the customers, which didn’t surprise me at all. They are “In the community and for the community,” as Andrew would say. They not only say it, but they put it into practice. Who hasn’t seen Andrew and Paige at a Lincoln High School basketball game handing out checks? Their support is huge for our community, and their office teamwork is incredible.

When speaking with Andrew about his company, the word “ethical” came up. It is a powerful word, and it rings true in this office. Andrew said “Everything we do is right by the client, even if we make less money because of it. We work for the community.”

Andrew is the President-Elect of the Rotary Club of Vincennes and will be the President starting July 1st! He is also involved in Junior Achievement, which teaches children how money, careers, and business ownership work by volunteering and providing mentorship. Andrew and his wife, Lauren, met at Murray State University and have planted their own roots here in Vincennes with their son. Andrew said they are here to stay. Lauren is the Title I Lead Teacher at Vigo Elementary School. You can tell how much Andrew adores Lauren as he spoke about her patience and kindness. These two are a power couple.

 When did you first open your office?

 September 1, 2015

 Why State Farm?

 “I have always been with State Farm, and I wanted to be on the #1 team (in terms of insuring more cars and homes than any other insurance company in the United States).”

 Do you have a favorite festival or event in the area?

 “Definitely the parades.”

What are some of your favorite things about Knox County?

 “The history, the monuments, the state’s oldest college. There is so much history here.”

 Do you prefer reading or watching TV?

 “TV, but I am in some book clubs through State Farm.”

  Favorite sweets?

 “Chess Squares”….We had to look this one up! Google defines them as a “classic

Southern treat” with a flaky upper crust and a soft, browned, cake-like bottom crust. I was sold at butter and sugar. You must look these up and make them! I know I’m planning on it.

 As a child, what did you want to be when you “grew up”?

 You really need to ask Andrew his fishing pole story for all of the details, but he basically was always an entrepreneur. You could say it’s in his blood. He was “selling” items to his childhood friends at a very young age and he always knew he wanted to be in business.

 Random Fact?

Andrew played many sports growing up, but tennis was a favorite. He still plays to this day!

What kind of music do you listen to?

He really enjoys all genres, but Danny and I personally loved that he mentioned how he even loves some blue grass every once in awhile.

We had a blast spending some time with Andrew and Paige.

Check out their office located at:

2015 Hart St, Vincennes, IN  or give them a call at

(812) 885-0015

Insurance Agent Spotlight: Pete Barry (Allstate Insurance)

4/4/2017 (Permalink)

Every time I walk into Pete Barry’s office I feel so welcomed. The office is warm and inviting, and we always pick up right where we left off. Halisa, Lori, and Pete are some of the kindest people I have met, they are really fun too. I never leave that office without a laugh or smile on my face. I always joke with them about “going LIVE” on facebook. I am pretty sure that I will never convince them, especially Lori, she was hiding in the bathroom when I told them I needed a picture. I did convince them to get a picture though :)

I started off my time with Pete playing “this or that”

1. Coke or Pepsi ---> Coke


2. McDonalds or Arbys--> Arbys


3. Cake or Pie-->Cake


4. IOS or Andorid-->Android

Let’s talk about Pete…

Pete and his wife, Jenny, met at the University of Evansville, the rest is history! They have been married for 27 years! They have two children, Ryan, and Rachel. Both Ryan and Rachel are nineteen years old and attending college. I am sure by now you are guessing they are twins, well they aren’t ! Pete has such a genuine and kind heart as I am sure his lovely wife does too. It was no surprise to me when Pete told me they fostered children and adopted Ryan and Rachel. They began fostering children after adopting their two children. I never get sick of hearing adoption stories of families beginning with love and seeing their story unfold.

Believe it or not, Pete did not always work in the insurance field. Pete grew up in the grocery business, he worked in a grocery store for nine years. He later moved into food sales. He delivered for Little Debbies for seven years and then worked in management for seven years. Pete spoke about his past work experiences with so much joy. It was very obvious that he was thankful for his experience and all that he had learned from each position. Pete Barry took over the Vincennes Allstate office in October of 2008.

Pete’s team consists of Halisa and Lori. Halisa (pictured on the left) has been with Pete for four years. She is such a bright and fun person to speak with. She is actually getting married in May! Lori (pictured on the right) has been at Allstate for 20+ years, I was so impressed when I found that out. She is always making me laugh, dodging my photos, and ready for all all of my facebook games! I am telling you, this office is a fun place to be. I always look forward to seeing these three.

I finished up asking Pete a few more questions:

• Are you a reader?

I am a reader, I am reading two different books right now. One is a book about St. Peter, and the other one I am reading is called Salvation History

• What about TV?

My daughter got me hooked on this show called “Victoria” it's all about Queen Victoria. We just finished season one. We are waiting for season two. My wife also got me hooked on “Man in the High Castle.”

• Do you have a favorite type of music?

I like Contemporary Christian music.

Allstate Insurance: Pete Barry

604 North 15th St.

Vincennes, IN 47591

Phone: (812) 886-0200

Agent Spotlight- Meeks Insurance

1/10/2017 (Permalink)

      Until recently I had not had the privilege to sit down with Brent and Beth Meeks and just talk. They own three insurance agencies, and two real estate companies, honestly, they are extremely busy people. If you drive past their office in Vincennes on a Saturday or Sunday, you are sure to see their vehicles in the parking lot. If I had to use one word to describe these two it would be, driven.

      You get it, they work a lot. But sit down with them for a few minutes and you will immediately see, family is the most important thing to them. Brent and Beth have been married for 26 years. We all laughed when they couldn't believe it had been that long...that is a LONG time. Brent's parents have almost been married for 50 years. In today's world, that is hard to find. Brent was born and raised in Knox County, and Beth was born and raised in Lawrenceville. One of my favorite parts about my time with these two was finding out what Beth did after she graduated high school...keep reading, I will get to that.  They have two daughters, Payton and Chelsea.  It was so refreshing hearing Brent and Beth talk about their children. They are very proud of both girls, as they should be.

       Chelsea recently joined her parent’s team working at Meeks. I was impressed to learn that she played professional basketball in Germany. Both Brent and Beth had so many wonderful things to say about both girls. From their intelligence, work ethic, athletic abilities, and most importantly, their hearts. I was excited to Meet Payton during my interview. She was extremely sweet and definitely a huge help organizing files in the Meeks office. Beth said," Payton is your girl when you need to rid stuff out!"  Payton is a sophomore in College and plays for the golf team, she helps her parents out on her college breaks.

 Let’s talk about their business.

1.    What are some positive and negative aspects of owning your own businesses?

Brent- You can have the freedom to leave when you want to leave, but at the same time, sometimes you have to be here when you don’t want to be. I enjoy the day to day stuff, and the interaction with people in the community.

2. Tell me more about your business?

Beth-We opened up a scratch insurance agency on May 1st, 2002. I had been in real estate twenty years before we opened Meeks. At times, with the girls’ sports schedule, we were always busy, always on the go.  I drove the bus, and Brent coached. We met so many of our clients and employees through the years at sporting events. It has really been a nice ride. When it comes to work,  I drive the business in and Brent takes care of it. We are in the business to help people find the perfect fit for them, we aren’t selling just to sell. We want to help people.

3.What is one of your favorite things about Knox County?

Beth-Raising a family.

Brent-Absolutely, raising a family.

4.What is one of your favorite restaurants in the area?

Beth and Brent- Gilberts. They have good food for extremely reasonable prices and something for everyone.

5. What is something not many know about you two?

Beth- Brent is the decorator. I say do whatever you like when it comes to decorating. I drove a semi for a year and a half after she graduated high school. It was definitely an experience.

        We finished up our interview talking about shopping, you can’t end on a better note. The Meeks plan to take a family trip to one of my favorite boutiques, Glamour Farms, located in Louisville, Illinois ( I hear their daughter, Payton, is the shopper).  It was truly a pleasure sitting down with Brent and Beth. Check them out below, and visit their Facebook page.

Meeks Insurance/ Meeks Real Estate

2402 Hart Street, Vincennes, IN 47591

812-886-4000

W & F Burton Realty & Insurance

102 Main Street, Princeton, IN 47670

812-386-0001

Pemberton Insurance & Benefits

402 E. Hwy 68, Haubstadt, IN 47639

812-768-6476

Helping His Hands

7/13/2016 (Permalink)

What does Helping His Hands organization do?

Helping His Hands Disaster Response is a disaster relief organization that is located in Vincennes, IN  who focuses not on the obvious disasters that could possibly happen in person's life but on the less obvious, such as hunger. Helping His Hands disburses food and other products to Knox County members every Wednesday 9-11 a.m., the first and third Thursdays from 4-5:45 p.m., and the first and third Saturdays from 9-11 a.m. Helping His Hands feeds roughly 1,400 people from 400 different families monthly through their food pantry. 

So, how can you help?

Helping His Hands is constantly in need of food donations due to all of the many individuals that they feed. They are always looking for organizations to put on canned food drives to help benefit this community. Some products that you can donate include: canned proteins, canned fruits, 100% fruit juices, grains, bags of beans, condiments, canned vegetables, soups, multigrain cereal, gluten-free and diabeti friendly foods, and fresh produce. SERVPRO of Vincennes will be putting on a food drive in August, so come out and make a difference!

Donations can be dropped of at 1107 Main Street in Vincennes, Indiana 47591.

Ag Day Celebration Vincennes

4/13/2016 (Permalink)

We were honored being a part of the Ag Day celebration at Vincennes University this year. The event had something for everyone and only cost one dollar to attend! We were pleased to see such a big crowd celebrating agriculture.

The Indiana Farm Bureau and the Knox County Purdue Cooperative Extension office sponsored the event. The children had a wonderful time enjoying the kiddie tractor pull, petting zoo, and games, while the adults enjoyed the door prizes, vendor displays, and health screenings. All had a good time. 

We set up corn hole at our booth and gave away a YETI tumbler to whomever could score the most in a row! We had a gentleman make nine straight! We had such a great time getting to spend time out in the community talking about what we do best. Our booth had multiple resources and tips from SERVPRO informing the community on water damage tips, the water restoration process, fire damage, restoring your home after a fire, storm damage, mold remediation, sewage cleanup, and commercial water damage. We had a great time answering questions and explaining in depth what we do everyday.

If you have any questions, call us at 812-895-0581. We look forward to hearing from you!